Reunited and it Feels so Good
by psychicdreamsandangelwings
Summary: Daryl and Rick are reunited after the prison falls.


Daryl knew things weren't going to work out with him and the small gang he had been running with, and honestly, he wasn't really sure why he had staid so long. Maybe he was just latching on to the next group of people he came across, too lost in his grief since he lost Beth to deal with being alone at the moment. The problem was, his and the claimers' viewpoints differed too much for them to ever be a single entity. They represented, at least in some twisted way, the man he used to be. Daryl had evolved so much since he had first joined that group in Atlanta, it was hard to believe he used to resemble them. He briefly remembered a time, back before he had met Rick Grimes and Merle was still alive, when he probably could have gotten along with them just fine. Hell, he could have _been_ one of them, if he hadn't met and staid with the people he had grown to call his family. He wasn't surprised his little biker gang stint had ended, he was more surprised it had lasted so long.

He'd been with the group for over a week before tension really hit the fan. Sure there had been little discrepancies here and there but it seemed as if they were getting along rather well. Daryl was really trying to make it work, despite the fact that every warning bell in his head was going off. It wasn't long before he and one of the other guys had had a huge falling out that, apparently, was all Daryl's fault because it wasn't long before everyone was turning on him. Daryl couldn't remember what the argument had even been about, possibly the guy's graphic retelling of the kid he had raped, but soon enough Daryl had hands and feet pounding into every inch of his skin. He'd tried to get away, but there was only so much one man could do against a group of others.

They had kicked him until Daryl saw nothing but stars and was on the brink of passing out, his entire body on fire. Daryl was used to pain, had experienced it since he was a kid, but this situation was different. He almost welcomed death, after all what did he have to live for? His family was dead, Rick was dead, Beth was gone, and he was alone. The group probably would have kept going if it wouldn't have been for the walker herd that had gotten too close for comfort. The gang had left him there, probably figuring he'd be torn apart by the walkers, completely underestimating the man they were dealing with. Daryl had managed to climb the nearest tree, though he almost passed out doing so, to wait out the herd. It wasn't the safest position, but it was a decent one and the best he could have done given the situation. Once the walkers had passed, Daryl staggered down from his hiding place. He'd managed to find shelter for the night and cleaned up his wounds as best he could. As far as he could tell, he had no broken bones, which was shocking considering the state of his bruises, but almost his entire body was covered in cuts and bruises.

It'd been a few days since his falling out with the guys and Daryl didn't know what to do. It'd been years since he had been completely alone. Despite the fact that Daryl did enjoy his alone time, he'd grown accustomed to having people surrounding him almost constantly, something that he had complained about before this. He took advantage of his people's presence, and never realized what he had had until it was gone. Even if Daryl went on a solo hunting trip, he'd return to the sound of soft cooing coming from baby Judith or the loud voices of the new people they had taken on. He missed Hershel, and Maggie, and Glenn, and Carol, and Rick, God did he miss Rick and those kids of his. He missed his friends, his family, something Daryl never thought he would say, and he wanted them back, he'd do _anything_to get them back.

Daryl had been walking aimlessly down the road, looking for any place that might be a decent enough spot to hole up for, when he heard voices, too soft to make out from his distance. He'd learned his lesson about joining a group of people he knew nothing about, but he still wanted to check them out to see what they had to offer. Daryl drew his crossbow, a precaution he wasn't going to be able to get rid of anytime soon, and moved slowly down the path, ears straining to pick up the slightest of movement. One voice rang out clearer than the others, and the louder it got the harder his heart started to beat. It was almost as if he recognized that voice, like he had spent hours relaying his darkest secrets to the man. It almost sounded like-

"Daryl?" Daryl heard as he came into the clearing where three figures were sitting. Daryl recognized Carl, Michonne, and Rick right away, it'd be impossible for him not to recognize them. Rick stood up the second he caught sight of him, dropping the can he held in his hands. Carl and Michonne's chatter stopped the second he appeared, their eyes trained on the two men in front of them.

Daryl didn't answer, he didn't trust his voice to make coherent sounds. He quickened his pace, closing the gap between the two of them, before slamming himself against Rick in a bone crushing hug. The force of the impact knocked them both to the ground, but Daryl didn't care; how could he when he was holding onto the man he had been longing for. He wrapped his arms around Rick, pulling their bodies hard together in a grip that pressed painfully against the bruises on his body. He didn't care. He couldn't think about the pain when the man he loved, the man he had thought was dead, was standing in front of him, very much alive. Daryl didn't speak, just clenched his fists in the back of Rick's jacket, pressing his face against his neck. Daryl inhaled the scent that was uniquely Rick's, taking it in as he attempted to calm his racing heart. Never in a million years had he expected to see him again. Daryl was too afraid to speak, afraid his voice would start to quiver. He was terrified that his mind was playing tricks on him, making him think Rick was really there when in reality, he was dead. He didn't know what he would do if that was the case.

"Daryl," Rick said in that quiet drawl of his, bringing Daryl back to reality. Daryl pulled back slightly, eyes roaming over Rick's face, attempting to take in every little detail he could. There was no tears, both of them were too strong for something like that, but one only had to look them in the eyes to see the love they shared for each other and the relief they felt now that they were back together. You didn't need tears when your eyes gave everything away.

"God, Rick, I thought you were dead," Daryl said, finally pulling away from the man enough so that they were no longer crowded against each other. The two of them were kneeling on the ground, so close together that their bodies were nearly touching.

Rick laughed darkly, making Daryl think he was lucky to see this man alive. "I thought _you were dead, _I can't believe it's you." Rick tentatively reached out to rest a hand against Daryl's face, silently asking for permission. When he didn't react negatively, Rick traced the bruises and cuts that marred his pale skin, worry in his eyes. "What happened to you?"

"'M'kay," Daryl replied, resting a hand over Rick's. His hand was caked in dirt, dry skin cracking in the bitter cold, but if felt so good to touch him once more. It'd been so long since the two of them had seen each other, had shared just a simple touch, Daryl couldn't help but reach out just to make sure he was still there. "Doesn't matter anyways, I'm just glad I found you guys."

Rick nodded and placed a tentative kiss against the man's forehead before resting their foreheads together. Daryl wasn't one for a lot of physical contact, especially not in front of other people, but Rick was glad to see the kiss had helped to relax the tense archer.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you two together again, but ya think you could break it up. It's getting dark and we need to find somewhere to hole up," Michonne said. Daryl looked up to see the darker woman leaning against the tree, watching them with that half smile of hers.

She and Carl were looking down at them, watching their reunion with gleeful eyes, and Daryl's face turned red. He had completely forgotten about the other two, so lost in Rick's presence. Daryl stood up quickly, Rick following him almost as fast. "She's right," Daryl said, coughing awkwardly in an attempt to cover the awkwardness. "We need to find shelter."

Michonne nodded and picked up her bag, her katana already slung across her back. "There's a few abandoned houses over that a way," she said, pointing to the right of them. "I'm sure we can find one that meets our needs." Michonne walked towards the direction of the house, brushing against Daryl's shoulder in a subtle way of greeting. "Glad to see you, Daryl."

Daryl nodded, half smile splayed across his face as he let her take the lead. Carl then walked past him, following after Michonne, and Daryl couldn't resist the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair. Over the years, and especially after his relationship with Rick progressed, Daryl had seen himself taking on more of a parenting role when it came to Rick's kids. He had missed Carl and Judith almost as much as he missed Rick. He wasn't going to ask where Judith was, he just hoped she had been picked up by one of the other survivors that was of course, if there were any other survivors. Carl smiled and clapped him on the shoulder before heading down the path. Daryl soon followed after the two of them, Rick pressed close against his side in a comforting touch. They weren't holding hands, or anything as girly as that, but they were walking relatively close to each other. Every time they took a step, their hands brushed against each other's, reassuring the other that everything was okay.

"Reunited and it feels so good," Michonne sang under her breath as she led the way, making Daryl groan in frustration and Rick start laughing. "Why do I put up with ya guys?"

"Cause ya love us," Rick replied, and Daryl couldn't disagree.


End file.
